My life passion is classical music, from Bach to Shostakovitch, with the Late Romantic period my main focus, and the monumental symphonies of Anton Bruckner the summit of that for me. I grew up on rock music, especially heavy rock, and was a bit of a late comer to prog. I developed an interest in classical music around the same time as prog, so when a band like ELP or Triumvirat or Latte e Miele quote classical music directly, i've always really related to that, and found it really cool! But because i was raised on rock, i could never divorce myself from it or misunderstand it the way a classical snob would. I guess i get the best of both worlds in embracing classical music and rock. I couldn't live my life without both of them.

Kudo's.....

If I had to give up one, classical, jazz or rock (prog, folk, etc) it would break my heart. Each kind of represents a different aspect of my life, and parting with any one of them would be like slicing a part of me off. No classical music aficionado could relate as I'm sure you would agree...

But I actually sort of found my way to rock through prog, not the other way around. Its kind of weird, but prog is what made other rock more acceptable to me. I really was more pop and classical oriented when I was a teenager. At times i felt pretty isolated from my peers...:)

EDIT: I'm listening to Latte e Miele as I write this, and WOW, is there some ELP influences in there or what!??(papillon overture). So thanks for the tip..!

when Jon ANderson was asked years ago why so much good music came out of England back in the 60's and 70's he said that in England back in those days there was not too many options--after high school you went to university or a factory---so lot's of guys got guitars, drums or any insturment and looked for a third option---rock band.

In the USA, I've noticed that many of our prog bands seem to "ape" Yes overall....including Starcastle (who were friends of mine), Glass Hammer and numerous others. Very irritating, although sometimes they pull off something that is genuinely innovative. GH's newest is quite good and not as derivative.

However, we Yanks do have many very good jazz-rock fusion outfits, and seem to make very good contributions to this genre. Chick Corea and his band's many offshoots (Stanley Clarke, Al Dimeola etc.) comes to mind.

It's not that we lack the talent, but we don't have good English sensibilities! Right, Laz?

I have to be honest abou this, and that is that i also think there is also a influence from bard traditions in prog as well,in both English prog and also Scandinavian, the bards ballad style, as ballads is a different style as folk and classical is different, styles, and ballad style is very popular amon the early prog, the telling of a story, of romantic and epic realations,

to me Ian Anderson ans Peter Gabriel, were to me modern bards (court bards). with their flutes, or lutes, or acoustic guitar.

And then throw in the fact that drums and drumming has a long history of practice in less developed countries - Africa, Asia, South America. So to the upper class, drumming probably at some point (19th century maybe during the global expansion) came to be associated with tribal cultures, uneducated masses to be controlled etc. And the first use of drums in western culture for dancing - (Strauss wrote waltzes but didn't score them for base drum..:)) - I don't know. Anyone? Was that a black influence in America or were they doing it before then? I kind of wish I had a time machine and I could go back to about 1910 or so, when Professer Hill in the Music Man was railing against ragtime..

Drums have played a major role in Native American music and dance for centuries, but Government views and relations with Native Americans lead me to believe that is not where they get the inspiration for these steady beats you speak of. I don't know much about Native American culture, but because drums and vocals are often the primary instruments used, I would believe they do all sorts of interesting, fun things with it as opposed to a steady tapping.

I would be more inclined to believe that while drumming could have been primarily adapted from these other lesser developed countries you speak of, I think that modern western culture merely adopted such habits from the eastern cultures who expanded west hundreds of years ago (Spain, France, England, etc.).

That means that if its Russian, its Shostakovich or Prokofiev that does it for me, not a prog band from there

I'm going to quote myself here - because I think I may have answered my own question.

That country's with strong classical music traditions don't have better prog is maybe because they simply don't need it. Why would you need a substitute when you can have the real thing? Prog to many is really a rejection of standard classical music - I mean, it honors it compared to rock'n roll, but is also says "I want to substitute a music that speaks to me more directly, uses more contemporary instruments, etc" i.e "I like classical music but its not my primary language and culture so I want to remake it in my own image". But the traditionalists would have no interest in that. They would say "if you want to make sophisticated music, why not just score it for an orchestra? So I would think in those countries that maybe too many would see prog as, at best, a cheap substitute, or, at worst, a clumsy attempt from a different part of society to challenge the status quo, to say "we can do it too, and sell even more albums than you". And would the most musically gifted in those countries feel that writing for a prog band instead of an orchestra or other ensemble would be a waste of their precious talent? Maybe. This would tend to syphon off talent and water down the prog. So I'm glad then that there is great prog out there and countries where it has broad support from all levels of society.

aldri7

You could make a similar argument from the other side of the spectrum as well. For me, my liking of prog music came from a disinterest in popular music. I know absolutely nothing about classical music, not because I have no interest, but because I haven't been exposed to it or raised around it.

I think, for me, this is one of the best topics to ever come up on Prog Archives. It brings

prog out of the "high schooler" mentality that is frequently found when it's discussed online,

and into something a little bit more like academic musicology.

thank you..

Since I started this thread, I've found some French prog that I like. I think there were two bands, but I can't remember the name of one now. The other is "Lord of Mushrooms" which is a pretty interesting band to me. Its prog metal but with more adventurous harmonies and some neo prog influences (or was it porcupine tree?).

I would really like prog metal better if they explored darker harmonies more. "The missing Link" and "Circles on the Water" by Lord of Mushrooms get into that realm a little. Prog metal should be fertile ground for diminished scale harmonies or shifting minors etc. It would suit the subject matter if its more gothic anyway. So, hats off to Lord of Mushrooms for not only elevating my attitude towards prog metal but also French prog in general.

You could make a similar argument from the other side of the spectrum as well. For me, my liking of prog music came from a disinterest in popular music. I know absolutely nothing about classical music, not because I have no interest, but because I haven't been exposed to it or raised around it.

Back in 1970 or so, I think there were a lot of people, myself included, who were disinterested in the popular music that was coming out at the time. I really was looking for an alternative to bluesy rock which was all the rage then. And so along comes "Yes" and it was like the perfect answer to all my prayers.

Yes and Genesis, etc at the time tapped into something, a desperate need I think - I mean there must have been lots of people like me who were dissatisfied and not buying Jimi Hendrix albums.

I'm listening to "Lord of Mushrooms" as I write this (getting back to my earlier post). Man, these guys go way beyond prog metal where they are listed here. I'd suggest a different category for them, maybe eclectic prog or heavy prog. I don't know, but its just that guys are going to miss some great music if they pass over prog metal on their way to other categories!

And now, I am going to make what is probably a pretty ridiculous assertion. I hope you will pardon me anyway but I have this strange need to be able to find some French prog that pays homage to French classical music. I guess its because I like French classical music so much (it was played in my house a lot when I was a kid growing up)...

And so, at about the 2:00 minute mark in Lord of the Mushroom's "Warmth in the Wilderness", the melody ascends and goes through several unexpected chord changes as it climbs to a "B". And when I first heard it, I immediately flashed back to Ravel's "Daphnis et Chloe" which doesn't sound anything like this really, but at the same time - there is this ascending passage there also right before the return to the main theme which also twists through a series of unexpected chord changes and.........could it be......? Why would I have flashed back to Ravel? But that I did that really gets me admiring this band, whether or not they were consciously thinking of Ravel or maybe they don't know squat about Ravel. :) I haven't a clue, but its fun doing this kind of detective work anyway..

And I love having Spotify now on my computer. :) I can call up Daphnis et Chloe and play it alongside Lord of Mushrooms at the click of a mouse......bliss....and the passage I referred to in Ravel comes at about the 2:45 mark compared to the 2:00 mark for "Warmth in the Wilderness". Given this version of Daphnis et Chloe is played on the slow side, then the two passages occur at about the same point in the music. And to put the icing on the cake, Ravel's passage also ascends to a "B" !!

I am going to go off on my own tangent here, as it seems I probably should've been here for the start....

Anyway, I find some of the South American/Portuguese prog bands to have a similar quality to them as found in the RPI scene from around the same time, which translates into the start 70s or something to that effect.

Here's Quarteto 1111, which I absolutely adore. It wasn't until I looked the album up on PA I found out about it not being an RPI release:

“The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”

Regarding France :Besides Zeuhl (which has very few bands under its umbrella), France has a long history with celtic folk and traditional music (Dan Ar Braz, Malicorne, Alan Stivell, Pierre Bensusan and more recently Seven Reizh).

I took a instant liking to Dan Ar Braz so thank for the recommendation. There is this mix of fusion almost or smooth jazz (acoustic alchemy) with celtic music which I liked a lot. More listening needed here :) They are not listed here, but its not really prog. THis is the type of band I NEVER would have found on my own :) So thanks to the forums....

I think, for me, this is one of the best topics to ever come up on Prog Archives. It brings

prog out of the "high schooler" mentality that is frequently found when it's discussed online,

and into something a little bit more like academic musicology.

thank you..

Since I started this thread, I've found some French prog that I like. I think there were two bands, but I can't remember the name of one now. The other is "Lord of Mushrooms" which is a pretty interesting band to me. Its prog metal but with more adventurous harmonies and some neo prog influences (or was it porcupine tree?).

I would really like prog metal better if they explored darker harmonies more. "The missing Link" and "Circles on the Water" by Lord of Mushrooms get into that realm a little. Prog metal should be fertile ground for diminished scale harmonies or shifting minors etc. It would suit the subject matter if its more gothic anyway. So, hats off to Lord of Mushrooms for not only elevating my attitude towards prog metal but also French prog in general.

I saw them in Chicago, they were excellent! Not sure if they are still active, this website is pretty dated. They seemed to channel the English prog spirit a bit, reminding me more than a little of LTIA era King Crimson. It was a fantastic show, and I was very happy to meet them (this was about September 1999).

In the USA, I've noticed that many of our prog bands seem to "ape" Yes overall....including Starcastle (who were friends of mine), Glass Hammer and numerous others. Very irritating, although sometimes they pull off something that is genuinely innovative. GH's newest is quite good and not as derivative.

However, we Yanks do have many very good jazz-rock fusion outfits, and seem to make very good contributions to this genre. Chick Corea and his band's many offshoots (Stanley Clarke, Al Dimeola etc.) comes to mind.

It's not that we lack the talent, but we don't have good English sensibilities! Right, Laz?

speaking of prog from the USA - when I came here, I pretty much expected that Orchestra Luna, a 70's prog band from Boston, would be listed here. Its not. Sometimes they just go by "Luna". Anyway, they remained active through the 1980's and went through a lot of personnel changes. But they never were more than just a regional band. OVer at Grooveshark I found some of their early tracks which I listened to eagerly since I never had actually heard their music. It sounded almost like firesign theatre put to music. Very different. Raucous, irreverent, but not always to my liking musically. I wonder if anyone else knows of them here. I knew one of their guitar players as I went to hight school with him.

speaking of prog from the USA - when I came here, I pretty much expected that Orchestra Luna, a 70's prog band from Boston, would be listed here. Its not. Sometimes they just go by "Luna". Anyway, they remained active through the 1980's and went through a lot of personnel changes. But they never were more than just a regional band. OVer at Grooveshark I found some of their early tracks which I listened to eagerly since I never had actually heard their music. It sounded almost like firesign theatre put to music. Very different. Raucous, irreverent, but not always to my liking musically. I wonder if anyone else knows of them here. I knew one of their guitar players as I went to hight school with him.

aldri7

Interesting....if anyone wants to hear you can Google "Orchestra Luna 1974" and it will pop up the whole album. Here's a sample

I think the key with krautrock was that while British bands were trying to make really complex and interesting rock music, the Germans were trying to make something completely their own and were going out of their way to not sound like rock'n'roll and to not sound like anything really

All you have to do is hear Edgar Froese's words on the Krautrock special ... you will reword this and understand it a lot better!

... none of the hits, none of the time ... you might actually find your own art, or self!

As I read this, I thought about the military and pictured soldiers marching to a strict beat. I never really thought about that before with respects to music and the upper and lower class. Uniforms helped too..:) You know, I suppose there was a time in our not too distant past when the only music with drums and a strict beat was marching music (fife and drums, etc) And from there, we evolved and drums became standard in dance music as well.

And so I googled this up. From the 16th to 19th century, military units usually had a drum corp which were used to aid troop movements in the field. it was also called "field music". And from there, marching bands, marching music etc evolved. And so to the aristocratic class, you can easily see how drums came to have an important role in their scheme of things - it was used to keep others in line.

And then throw in the fact that drums and drumming has a long history of practice in less developed countries - Africa, Asia, South America. So to the upper class, drumming probably at some point (19th century maybe during the global expansion) came to be associated with tribal cultures, uneducated masses to be controlled etc. And the first use of drums in western culture for dancing - (Strauss wrote waltzes but didn't score them for base drum..:)) - I don't know. Anyone? Was that a black influence in America or were they doing it before then? I kind of wish I had a time machine and I could go back to about 1910 or so, when Professer Hill in the Music Man was railing against ragtime..

Also, consider the evolution of the drug culture in western society which probably sort of paralleled the rise of dancing to the beat, jazz, etc. and then rock.

...

Excellent ... I've always tried to put that in perspective if I could, but the history of music is not as good in a book as Jensen's History of Art is ... one of my favorite books of all time. I really think that we need a couple more folks in here that work/mention history a bit more ... for perspective.

aldri7 wrote:

soggy Oregon ...

It's been a dry season, man ... us here in PDX/ Vancouver are about 3 inches behind normal rain fall for this year already with only 8 weeks gone by! The water table is still an inch up for the water year, though ... so the salmon might still make the trip up the river!

Edited by moshkito - March 02 2013 at 16:20

... none of the hits, none of the time ... you might actually find your own art, or self!

I have to be honest abou this, and that is that i also think there is also a influence from bard traditions in prog as well,in both English prog and also Scandinavian, the bards ballad style, as ballads is a different style as folk and classical is different, styles, and ballad style is very popular amon the early prog, the telling of a story, of romantic and epic realations,

to me Ian Anderson ans Peter Gabriel, were to me modern bards (court bards). with their flutes, or lutes, or acoustic guitar.

Aginor ... that's way too educated and knowledgeable for a supposedly progressive board. Now stop that or people will think that we are insulting their intelligence!!!!

It will be tomorrow of the day after, and Kanye West will be the next bard! .... and Gil Scott Heron, just another nobody!

... none of the hits, none of the time ... you might actually find your own art, or self!

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